Warning: Spoilers for the February 5 episode of Chicago P.D. are discussed below.
A powerful moment unfolded for Kim Burgess as Chicago P.D. saw her suffer a terrible tragedy. Adam Ruzek, the father of Burgess' unborn child, arrived following a pregnant Burgess getting brutally attacked by a sex trafficker. It turns out the scene that followed between Burgess and Ruzek involved actor Patrick John Flueger going off-script. First, a quick recap.
During Chicago P.D.'s February 5 episode, Burgess sprang into action -- despite her pregnancy -- after receiving a 911 call from a young woman. In the end, a sex trafficker viciously attacked Burgess, and she lost her baby. The young woman Burgess tried to save survived. Ruzek arrived, and the scene that followed between him and Burgess was different than what ultimately made it to the screen.
In the Chicago P.D. scene, Ruzek picked Burgess up and out of the bathtub. Ruzek's originally written reaction was quite a bit different. Marina Squerciati revealed that Ruzek's response was altered following Patrick John Flueger's suggestion. Squerciati shared how the scene initially went down and how Flueger influenced it, telling TVLine:
Well, actually, in the script, he was supposed to come into the bathtub with me and sit with me until help arrived, and Paddy [John Flueger] was like, 'Nope. I can’t do that. I have to pick you up and bring you to the hospital.' So that was something we had to kind of work out with the writer and make sure she was OK with that. She had written this beautiful scene, and we wanted to respect it. But ultimately, she was OK with him picking me up and taking me away, which is exactly what Paddy, as a man, would do and what Ruzek, as a man, would do. It was a dance. Everyone was working really hard to make it work.
Both versions of the Chicago P.D. scene involved Ruzek taking a comforting stance with Burgess. The second version that Patrick John Flueger suggested saw Ruzek take action in trying to get Burgess the help she needed, lifting her out of the bathtub. In the first one, he waits with her in the tub. Flueger's suggestion ended up getting used. After checking with the writer, she signed off on the change.
Ruzek's valiant action was later followed by him coming into Burgess' hospital room after the doctor confirmed that she had lost the baby. He sat with a numb Burgess on the bed and assured her that he would be "right here." Burgess appeared distant and did not respond as he put his hand over hers.
Patrick John Flueger has said that Ruzek has "always loved Burgess." Will those feelings be enough to help them through the tough journey that lies ahead? Marina Squerciati opened up on how Burgess will be handling the tragedy. Based on what she said, it does not sound like Burgess will be leaning on Ruzek in the near future.
Ruzek and Burgess were both missing from promotional images for the next episode. They are not going anywhere, though. Patrick John Flueger revealed how Ruzek will be handling the return of Burgess' ex for Chicago P.D.'s upcoming crossover with Chicago Fire. Apparently, Sean Roman will be returning in a less than straight-up way.
What, if any impact will Roman have on Burgess and Ruzek's dynamic when he returns? Chicago P.D. fans will have to stay tuned as the season continues playing out. In related news, how do you feel about the different versions of the Burgess/Ruzek scene? Do you like the one that made it to the screen or the one that had been scripted initially? Weigh in via the poll below!
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Find out what is next for Ruzek and Burgess when new episodes of Chicago P.D. air Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET on NBC. The police drama is one of the many series airing throughout this winter and spring.
